The ongoing release of Honeycomb tablets definitely overshadowed the 7-inch Galaxy Tab. That tablet was great during its time, but the consumer always wants more and better. The successors to the Galaxy Tab were seen at Mobile World Congress and CTIA, coming in two versions – one sized at 10.1-inches and the other at 8.9-inches. These have been two of the most hotly-anticipated tablets since then, and Samsung has finally announced official details about the price and release date for the 10.1 version.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is officially being released on June 8th, but there is a big catch. Only one store in the entire U.S. will have it on launch day, and it is in NYC (BestBuy in Union Square). The rest of us will only be able to pre-order it on this date at our local BestBuy or online, and it will be available in-store on June 17th.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Specifications:

Android 3.1 Honeycomb (Yes, it is shipping with 3.1), with TouchWiz UX available later on through an OTA update. [1]

Tegra 2, 1 GHz dual-core processor

1 GB RAM

10.1-inch 1280 x 800 (WXGA) TFT capacitive display

3 MP rear-facing camera

2 MP front-facing camera

16/32 GB of internal storage

Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi a/b/g/n

If you happen to be lucky enough to live in or close to New York City, you better wake up early and wait outside the store. With such a high demand, it seems like one store’s stock won’t be able to handle everyone. Who knows, they may very well be prepared for it and have an amazing amount of the Tab at their warehouse. If you are planning to take out your wallet for one of these, the prices will be $499 for the 16 GB version, and $599 for the 32 GB version. Who is running to Union Square to get one of these bad boys? Are you jealous of our fellow NYC Android fans?

10-inch Touchscreen Available Exclusively at Best Buy Union Square Store in New York City Starting June 8; Available Nationwide Starting June 17

DALLAS, June 2, 2011 — Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.[1], and Samsung Electronics America, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the upcoming retail availability of the Galaxy Tabâ„¢ 10.1, starting June 8. The WiFi-enabled tablet measures at just 8.6 millimeters slim, making it the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world. The 32GB version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available for $599, while the 16GB version of the device will be available for $499.

A limited quantity of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available for purchase exclusively at the Best Buy Union Square store in New York City on June 8. Best Buy customers may also pre-order the Galaxy Tab 10.1 online or in-store beginning that day.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is powered by Androidâ„¢ 3.1, Honeycomb offering faster and smoother transitions between different applications, more intuitive navigation to and from home screens and broader support of USB accessories, external keyboards, joysticks and gamepads.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world, measuring in at an ultra-slim 8.6 millimeters. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also boasts an incredibly light weight of just 1.25 pounds (565 grams) for outstanding mobility and comfort in the user’s hands.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is designed with a brilliant 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display with WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution delivering vibrant colors and crisp clarity. This expansive screen is centered inside a narrow bezel to enhance the wide viewing angle.

“Ensuring that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 launched with Android 3.1 Honeycomb was part of our constant commitment to meeting the needs of our customers,” said Dale Sohn, President and CEO of Samsung Mobile. “The Galaxy Tab 10.1’s ultra-thin design and 10-inch touchscreen are impressive differentiators in the tablet market place. We’re going to make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 even more powerful, entertaining and secure through a series of upgrades coming to this device.”

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will receive these new upgrades through a software update that customers can access over the air in the near future. Those upgrades are currently scheduled to include:

FEATURES/SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH FUTURE SOFTWARE UPGRADE

Customized User Experience “Samsung TouchWiz UX”

Samsung’s TouchWiz user experience is designed with a Live Panel menu for customizing the home screen of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with digital pictures, favorite Web sites and social network feeds.

In addition, the TouchWiz UX includes a “Mini Apps” tray of commonly used features such as task manager, calendar and music player which can be launched while other major applications are already in use.

Samsung Media Hub

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 software upgrade will introduce the evolution of Samsung’s popular movie and TV content service, known as Media Hub. Media Hub has been redesigned with a new user interface for even easier downloads of rented or purchased content. The new version of Media Hub also includes an HD Extender which allows the user to playback Media Hub content on TV through an HDMI cable from the Galaxy Tab 10.1 dock or adaptor.

Readers Hub & Social Hub

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will also gain access to Samsung’s Readers Hub service, which is a robust library filled with more than 2.2 million books, 2,000 newspapers and 2,300 magazines. Also, the software upgrade will install Samsung’s Social Hub service, which aggregates email, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface.

Versatile Content Sharing

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will also receive Samsung’s Allshare service, for seamless content transfer between the tablet and other DLNA-enabled devices such as HDTV’s, monitors and digital cameras. The software upgrade will also transform the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 into a device capable of accepting streaming content from a TV to the tablet itself.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES AVAILABLE AT PRODUCT LAUNCH

Impressive Speed, Power & Battery Life

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity to deliver rapid mobile download speeds and reduce data transfer times. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also includes a Nvidia Tegra 1GHz dual core application processor for powerful gaming and multimedia performance. The Tab’s ultra-thin design does not sacrifice battery life, thanks to a 7000 mAh battery providing up to 9 hours of continuous use on a single charge[2].

Full Adobe Flash Player Compatibility

The device offers extensive Web browsing access through Adobe® Flash® Player compatibility. Flash Player delivers beautiful HD video, faster graphics rendering, and high performance on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and is designed to take advantage of native device capabilities — enabling richer, more immersive user experiences.

Optimal Enterprise Solutions

In addition, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 integrates several enterprise solutions to provide support for exchange device management policies, improve the security of data and services maintained on the tablet and meet IT guidelines for remote device access. The enterprise solutions include:

· On-device encryption of user data

Enhanced Exchange ActiveSync Support
· Cisco AnyConnect SSL VPN

· F5 SSL VPN

Quality Cameras and Sound

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 features a 3 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera providing smooth video chat capabilities and seamless 1080p HD video playback[3]. High quality speakers are positioned on the right and left sides of the device for a rich, deep audio experience.

Googleâ„¢ Mobile Services

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is preloaded with the full suite of Google Mobile Services including access to more than 60,000 Android Marketâ„¢ applications for Galaxy Tab 10.1[4], Gmailâ„¢, Google Searchâ„¢, Google Mapsâ„¢ 5.0 with 3D maps, and Google Talkâ„¢ with video and voice chat.

Availability & Pricing

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available exclusively starting June 8 at the Best Buy Union Square location in New York City. Starting June 17, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available at Best Buy online and in-store along with Fry’s Electronics, Amazon.com, Micro Center, Tiger Direct and Newegg. These retail outlets will have the 32GB version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition available for $599, and the 16GB version of the device will be available for $499. In addition, the WiFi version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available through Sprint starting mid-summer 2011. Visit www.samsung.com for additional details.

1 Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q1 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.

References

Hello, I am Edgar Cervantes. I am an avid Android fan, and keeping myself updated on the topic is part of my daily life. I will always work hard to give the best of me to our community of Android enthusiasts, and I am very honored to be part of this ship. Hopefully we can all enjoy sharing our knowledge and opinions!